Filter



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R0854? 0. W/u') gmi w g my Patented May 6, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FILTER Robert D. Wiley, Birmingham, Mich. Application September 1, 1949, Serial No. 113,568

This invention relates to a filter and it has to do particularly with a filter arranged and constructed so that it may be cleaned by a back wash action.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved filter which employs finely divided material as the filtering medium, such material preferably being small balls or shot although other finely divided material, such as sand or the like may be used. In accordance with the invention the finely divided material is maintained in a sort of a receptacle supported by a foraminous bottom in which the interstices are larger than the interstices formed by the particles of the filtering medium but fine enough to prevent passage of the particles of the filtering medium therethrough. The arrangement is such that when the flow of fluid through the filter is reversed to provide the back washing action the finely divided material is held so that the same cannot be displaced from its container. A further object of the invention is to provide a filter which may be built up of a number of units so that the size of a given filter may vary with requirements. The accompanying drawings show a filter constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 1 is a view largely in cross section with some parts cut away illustrating a filter constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on line 2-2 of Fig; 1 with some of the filtering material removed to show underlying structure.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 showing filter structure.

The filter comprises a suitable casing which may include a cylindrical wall I with end portions 2 and 3' held assembled by bolts 4. The lower end wall or end plate has a tubular inlet 6 to which a fitting l is attached while the inlet pipe for filtrate is shown at B and connected to the fitting. There is a Valve 9 in the inlet pipe and connecting the inlet pipe is another conduit I!) with a valve ll.

Extending through the fitting l and secured thereto by screw threads, as shown at I5, is a stand pipe l6. This stand pipe is of smaller outside diameter than the fitting l and the inlet 5. A conduit I I with a valve I8 is connected into the lower end of the stand pipe by means of a fitting l9 and another conduit 29 with a valve 2| connects to the pipe ll. The stand pipe is closed at its lower end, as shown at 23, and

2 Claims. (Cl. 210-143) a tube 24 is disposed within the stand pipe and its upper end is near the top thereof as shown, and its lower end is equipped with a bleed valve 25. The casing is provided with a vent valve 25.

Telescopingly fitting over the stand pipe are a plurality of receptacles, each indicated at 33. These are relatively deep pan like receptacles with an inner hub like wall 3|. The lower receptacle rests upon a shoulder 32 on a stand pipe. The next higher receptacle rests upon the hub of the lowermost receptacle. The hub portions 3| fit snugly against the stand pipe at opposite ends thereof as indicated at 35 and. 35, but the hub portions have an internal diameter greater than the external diameter of the stand pipe so that each forms a chamber 3l around the stand pipe. The stand pipe is provided with a plurality of apertures 48, with the apertures preferably arranged in groups and with each group positioned at the location of a chamber N.

The bottom wall of each receptacle is preferably provided with reinforcing ribs ll upon which a fora-minous partition is placed, as shown at 42. At a location under the partition each receptacle has apertures 43 connecting into the chamber 3'! and it will be seen, by reference to Fig. 3, that the apertures '46 thus communicate with the apertures 43 through the means of the chamber 31. The several receptacles are held assembled by a cap 44 which may be screwed to the top of the stand pipe to thus hold the receptacles clamped between the cap and the shoulder 32. The receptacles have a flared construction as shown, with the result that they increase in cross sectional area in an upward direction. This construction aids in preventing the filtering material from being displaced from the receptacles upon the reverse flow of fluid through the filter during the back wash. Of course, the velocity of back wash flow should be also controlled to prevent displacement of the filtering material. 7

The filter may conveniently be formed with an agitating device in the form of a journaled handled member 50, carrying an arm 5! with the arm having a plurality of supports 52, each carrying a plurality of fingers or tines 53. The foraminous partition may carry some upstanding tines or fingers 54 so positioned that the fingers 53 may pass therebetween, as shown in Fig. 2. The screen or foraminous partition may be held in position by snap rings 55 and 56, as shown in Fig. 2.

It will be noted that the ports for the different receptacles are located in different positions.

For example. for the upper receptacle the ports 40 may be in direct alignment with the ports 43 in the hub portion of the receptacle, and the ports 40 of the various receptacles are progressively positioned higher relative to the ports 43. Moreover, it will be noted that the hubs are formed so that the chambers 31 are of tapered form with their greatest dimension or area adjacent the lower portion thereof. The purpose of this structure is to obtain a more uniform flow through the several receptacles during the reverse fiow of fluid in back washing. The structure takes care of the difference in the hydrostatic head between the various receptacles in the casing. In other words, there is less resistance to the reverse flow through the upper receptacle and a greater resistance to the reverse flow for the lowermost receptacle with a progressive variation in all of the receptacles. This is but one way of providing for a variable resistance to the reverse flow. Ports of different sizes can be used for this purpose.

In the normal operation of the filter, the mixture enters through the pipe 8 and at this time the valve II is closed. The mixture moves upwardly through the inlet 6 and fills the casing. The filtrate discharges through the casing by passing downwardly through the receptacles through the mass of finely divided material in each receptacle, through the foraminous partition and then through the ports 43 into chamber 3! and thence through apertures 5!] into the stand pipe IS. The filtered material passes downwardly in the stand pipe and out through the outlet pipe II. To clean the filter the valves 9 and iii are closed and a suitable fluid is then passed through the filter in the reverse direction. This is done by opening the valve 21 so that the fiuid passes into the stand pipe and upwardly therein. The path of the fluid is just reverse to the path described with the fiuid passing through the filtering material in the reverse direction and into the casing. The cleaning fluid passes out through the portion 6 and through the conduit H], the valve I I being open. The cleaning fluid is passed through the fluid with suitable force and velocity for agitation of and unseating of the divided filtering material thus loosening and carrying all extraneous material and lint and other collected substance out of the casing. During the cleaning action, the material may be agitated by turning the handled stem 50. In this action the fingers 53 move through the several bodies of filtering material which is now loose and not in packed form because of the reverse flow. As the fingers 53 pass through the fingers 54 the agitation of the filtering material is increased. After the filter has been cleaned, the valves H and 2| are closed and valves 9 and I8 are open for normal operation. The valve 25 may be opened to vent the top of the stand pipe of air which might collect therein and the casing may be vented of collected air by the opening of a vent valve 26.

The materials of which the filter is made may vary depending somewhat upon the fluids to be handled. The foraminous support may be of a woven metal screen or expanded metal or a porous sintered material, such as sintered bronze. The filtering material may be shot or small substantially spherical pieces of copper, lead or stainless steel. In the event the filter is to handle acids, or other corrosive substance, the bowls or receptacles and the filtering medium may be of ceramic material. Likewise the other parts of the filter may be of material for resisting the corrosive action of acids or the like.

I claim:

1. A filter comprising a casing, a vertically disposed stand pipe substantially centrally positioned in the casing, a plurality of bowl like receptacles in the casing, each having a hub like portion around the stand pipe, said receptacles being disposed one above the other so that each opens upwardly into the casing, the hub like portion of each receptacle having a clearance with respect to the stand pipe to provide a chamber, a foraminous partition in each receptacle positioned substantially horizontally and located above the bottom of the respective receptacle between its outer wall and the hub like portion, ports in each hub like portion positioned below the foraminous partition and communicating with said chamber, the stand pipe having groups of apertures therein with each group communicating with one of said chambers, with the group of apertures communicating with the chamber for the upper receptacle being substantially in alignment with the ports in the hub, and the groups of apertures in the stand pipe for the lower receptacles being progressively displaced axially from the ports in the hubs of the respective receptacles to accommodate for the difference in hydrostatic head, a loose body of divided shot like .filtering material in each receptacle supported by the foraminous partitions, conduit means for introducing mixture to the casing, whereby the filtrate fiows in a downward direction through the receptacles and then through the said ports, chambers and apertures in the stand pipe, conduit means connected to the stand pipe for conducting the filtrate therefrom, and other conduits including control valves for the introduction of a cleansing fluid into the stand pipe and for the discharge of the same from the casing whereby the flow thereof is in the reverse direction to the fiow of mixture and filtrate through the stand pipe and casing.

2. A filter comprising a casing, a vertically disposed stand pipe substantially centrally positioned in the casing, a plurality of bowl like receptacles in the casing, each having a hub like portion around the stand pipe, said receptacles being disposed one above the other so that each opens upwardly into the casing, the hub like portion of each receptacle having a clearance with respect to the stand pipe to provide a chamber, a foraminous partition in each receptacle positioned substantially horizontally and located above the bottom of the respective receptacle between its outer wall and the hub like portion, ports in each hub like portion positioned below the foraminous partition and communicating with said chamber, the stand pipe having groups of apertures therein with each group communicating with one of said chambers, with the group of apertures communicating with the chamber for the upper receptacle being substantially in alignment with the ports in the hub, and the groups of apertures in the stand pipe for the lower receptacles being progressively displaced axially from the ports in the hubs of the respective receptacles to accommodate for the difference in hydrostatic head, said hubs being formed so that the said chambers are of tapering form with the greatest dimension for each chamber adjacent the bottom thereof, a loose body of divided shot like filtering material in each receptacle supported by the foraminous partitions, conduit means for introducing mixture to the casing, whereby the filtrate flows in a downward direction through the receptacles and then through the said ports, chambers and apertures in the stand pipe, conduit means connected to the stand pipe for conducting the filtrate therefrom, and other conduits including control valves for the introduction of a cleansing fluid into the stand pipe and for the discharge of the same from the casing whereby the flow thereof is in the reverse direction to the flow of mixture and filtrate through the stand pipe and easing.

ROBERT D. WILEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 311,257 Piefke Jan. 27, 1885 450,222 Davis et a1. Apr. 14, 1891 769,143 Boellinghaus Sept. 6, 1904 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 797,512 France Apr. 28, 1936 

